A fat pet problem :: Wessex Scene Online

A fat pet problem

23rd April 2006
Charlotte Ward

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Obesity. Everyone, it would seem, is worried about it. The cheap and easy availability of various fast food options is creating a fat Europe close on the heels of the giants of flab: the Americans. 10-20% of men, and 10-25% of women are now clinically obese and figures don’t look like they’ll be shrinking anytime soon. Despite these rising statistics I can’t help but feel that we are rejecting our nation’s pets.

Cats, dogs, hamsters and guinea pigs have sat watching their owners gorge themselves on Indian takeaway or their afpost-pub kebab and it has obviously created a sense of jealousy, especially amongst our feline friends. They see us eating and think if it’s ok for us it must be fine for them. One particular cat to hit the headlines recently in China has a staggering waist measurement of 31.5 inches. True it may be hilarious to watch the poor pussy being rolled around the floor due to its newly acquired inability to walk, but is there a more serious issue at hand?

My theory is that as we concentrate on eating less, we pass our caveman food centred urges onto animals. Instead of feeding ourselves we feed them and they are lapping it up little aware of the heart disease and kidney failure train speeding towards their fat furry bodies. By attempting to heal our addiction to food we are, in a sense, passing the buck to our pets. It is a frightening fact that 50% of household animals are overweight, although it must be said that a large proportion of these apparently originate from Nottingham. Kell from Nottinghamshire, for example, weighs an incredible 20 stone. That is larger than Mikyla Dodd - you know, the big ginger one from Hollyoaks.

We all know that if a smoker quits puffing they may save in excess of Ł2000 a year. Imagine how much can be saved if, next time there’s an urge to splash out on Kitty Kat, we resist.